THC murderers, innocent weapons: a letter from an American pharmacist who just doesn't get it.

It may come as a surprise that someone concerned with violence in America take up arms but it's even more surprising when, when it comes to choosing a culprit, that person points the finger at cannabis. Yet this is the position of Bob Orleck, a retired pharmacist and lawyer who is also a former assistant attorney general of Vermont, who recently sent an open letter to a local newspaper.

Thank you Bob for opening our eyes

Bob doesn't just talk nonsense, and we're going to honor the truths he states because they're rare and precious. For example, he says that today's cannabis is stronger than yesterday's, which is certainly true. He then goes on to say that concentrates can reach 99.9% THC, which is a bit of an exaggeration, but the aim is to obtain the highest THC content, which is the very meaning of the word concentrate, and he understands this.

Bob then proceeds to enlighten us on the status of legalization advocates, who are either addicts seeking access to their drugs without legal barriers, or dangerous criminals out to make money off poor addicts. In this case, there are two solutions for these damned souls: «repent or be arrested».

A conceptual problem with the notion of causation

The problem is that he then goes on to say that consuming concentrates and edibles can be fatal, which is scientifically impossible, and that it can cause psychoses leading to suicide, homicide or violence. His claims seem to be based on a 2017 study which shows that daily cannabis consumption among psychiatric patients is a relevant indicator of future violent acts. This study does not, however, say that cannabis use causes psychosis or is synonymous with violence in non-psychiatric patients. It has shown, It's true that people prone to psychosis are more likely to use cannabis, and that cannabis may reveal these predispositions in some people. There is, however, a nuance between causing and revealing, but some great minds are not sensitive to subtle nuances of meaning.

Before demonizing legalization, on the other hand, Bob would do better to look at recent studies on the link between legalization and crime. These studies show that in states where cannabis is legal, a decrease in crime was observed and legalization reduces violence but prohibition, which feeds international trafficking and organized crime, is undoubtedly a better option. Finally, there's no proven link between cannabis consumption and violence, except of course among the hippies, those dangerous pacifists who were against the Vietnam War. This is certainly not the case with alcohol, This legal drug Bob doesn't seem to have any problems with.

But Bob has decided that science is worthless in the face of the truth he holds: «With so many variables entering into people's lives, there's no way to ever prove with certainty that there's a causal link, but there shouldn't have to be - the relationship is there again and again». He claims that a credible statistical relationship is enough, but again where is it? what is it? Where are the numbers Bob?

Innocent weapons are the victims of an amalgam

This passage is far too tasty not to be reported as it stands, and it's with a touching lyrical flourish that Bob declares: «When killers use guns and bullets, the reaction is almost immediate, we point to the gun as the culprit, but the real evil-doer, the THC, sneaks off, unnoticed, to kill somewhere else». He then kindly asks us if we've understood that THC-concentrated cannabis is «the real killer, and weapons its innocent accomplices». Poor weapons diverted by the evil THC from their primary purpose, which is what?

In the meantime, the real bane of America in our dear Bob's eyes is the gun restrictions. On that point, he's unaware that cannabis patients can't carry guns, but he's also unaware, apparently, that cannabis is medicine for many. Finally, he paints a catastrophic scenario for legalization, with mass murder and violence reaching fever pitch, and cannabis entrepreneurs reveling in the spectacle, almost with blood on their lips, as they enrich themselves handsomely on the backs of poor, naive people.

In the USA, Bobs are now in the minority. In France, some Bobs (aka Jean Costentin) blame cannabis for France's «pitiful» PISA ranking. We get the champions we deserve!